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The Word Carrier.
VOLUME XX.
HELPING THE RIGHT, EXPOSING THE WRONG.
NUMBER lO-l I.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
OIK PLATFORM.
For Indians we w<m! American Education! We want American Homes'.
We want American Rights! The result of which is American Citizenship!
And tlie gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation.
It is not often that we find anything published on Indian education
that is original or much worth reading. It is mostly a rehash of what
has been said about school work
among civilized people. But the
article Ave copy from the School
Journal is not of this kind. Iota
North is a real teacher and she is a
student of her material. She sees
some use in employing the vernacular; she would see more, and be
delivered from quite a little of her
initiatory trouble if only she knew
more of the vernacular herself or if
her pupil interpreter had been trained as a normal assistant.
It is a curious thing that, just as
the Mohonk Indian Conference is
getting down to business ana is doing its best work, some of its friends
are apprehensive lest it has outlived its day and that its future
meetings will be failures. The last
meeting should be a sufficient
refutation of this fancy. It took
several years for the Conference to
bloAv off the froth and come down
to clear common sense. And now
instead of having used up its theme,
it is just begining really to grapple
with it. Mohonk Indian Conference
is now our American Institute of Applied Political Science. The interest and effect of its deliberations will
continue to grow.
In a recent letter of instructions
of Commissioner Morgan to Superintendent Dorchester he makes
the sweeping remark that "Pupils
cannot recei\'e as good an equipment
for life in the contract schools as
they can in government schools,"
and declares that "it is the purpose hereafter to promote pupils
from the contract schools to government schools Avherever it is found
that the course of study is defective
or the facilities for industrial training are Avanting. From the alleged
fact that pupils cannot receive as
good an equipment in life in the
contract schools as they can in
government schools it is implied
that all contract schools are defective in their course of study or in
industrial training. There are certainly some contract schools of
Avhich this is not true; and it Avould
be a promotion for pupils from any
government school Avho might be
transferred to them. The commissioner should not make such
sweeping statements, for he is not
only wounding his friends but putting himself in the power of his foes.
A government that requires the
arts of the inquisition to accomplish
its ordinary ends is in a bad Avay.
If a state of things exists Avhich
makes it necessary to ferret out and
bring to punishment any persons
Avho "are using their influence
against the government schools,
advising Indian parents not to send
their children to government
schools, advising the pupils not to
attend government schools, or harboring those Avho have escaped from
the government schools," it is high
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER, 189
FIFTY CENTS PEE YEAB.
time to change the state of things
whicli makes such inquisitorial tactics necessary. To cultivate the necessity is suicidal,and to bolster up
the government schools by this kind
of inquisition will make them thoroughly detested byleverv self respecting Indian. We are confident that
the Commissioner does not intend to
apply the scmvs to anv but reprobates. But the mischief of it lies in the
fact that when you set up such machinery it is worked upon those who
least deserve it. In the fight on the
vernacular question it was not the
Bomanistswhosuffered,thoughthey
with their Latin prayers and French
teachers were practically the greatest impediments in the way of
English education among the Indians; but it was those who by
, the vernacular bible furnished the
1 main spring to civilization and who
through the vernacular made the
best English speakers and Avriters,
tbey were put under ban, their
schools broken up and their work
suspended. So will it be again.
Fourteen years ago the Sioux
Commission of 1877 appointed to
locate Bed Cloud and Spotted Tail's
people, urged strongly the necessity
andAvisdom of establishing a considerable number of sub-agencies for
the issue of rations, to the end that
these dangerous masses of wild Indians might be broken up and that
they might be encouraged to settle
down in small farming colonies in
districts capable of supporting them.
The suggestion went unheeded for
ten years, and finally, its wisdom
has found recognition in law. And
now the policy is being carried out
with all the sloAvness and perversity
that the Agency system can muster.
SAvift Bear has been the most progressive chief on the Bosebud reservation. He has worked with he-
j roic .persistence to locate his band
I on homesteads. But he has had
to contend every foot of the way
against the Indian Agent. At last
he has an issue house located in his
district, but simply because it had
to be put somewhere and could be
put noAvhere else. The history of
the Swift Bear colony is all the proof
needed to shoAV that the Indian
Agency system has not an iota of the
spirit of civilization. Whatever it
does for civilization is done under
some impulse from Avithout that it
cannot resist or thwart; but it will
resist and thwart as long as possible. A government bureau is a
machine and has no soul, but the
machine should be so remodelled
that it will not work against the
ends for Avhich it was created.
ENCOURAGEMENT IN INDIAN MISSIONS.
Heathenism is peculiarly binding
upon an Indian. This religion is
extremely individualistic. The fact
that the Indian's heathenism is not
highly organized and systematized,
as are Asiatic religions, is rather a
cause of strength than weakness,
because each man is his own priest,
master of his own religious performances, before his own peculiar deity.
The missionary finds no organized
and centralized belief by the breaking down of which he can throw
large numbers of people into the
attitude of accepting a new religion.
Every Indian must be Avon from the
peculiar individual gods of his own
ancestors, distinct from the deities
of any other Indian.
Then, too, every act of living man
is considered in its relation to a
jealous god. The Indian prays
without ceasing more than most
Christians. And moreoA'er this heathen religion, Avhich so constantly
and thoroughly possesses the Indian, is diametrically opposite to
every principle of modern education. Therefore, the Indian can
neA'er be civilized till freed from his
religion. We may safely challenge
any one to prove that he ever has
been or ever can be. This is not
the same as saying that a white man
who has been horn and brought up
amid the influences of Christendom
must be a professing belieA'er in order to be civilized. But if any Avhite
man Avere subject to such an individualized demoniacal religion he
could never be civilized till freed
therefrom. And though he might
be freed from it by the unconscious
influence accruing from the general
progress of society during the development of Christendom, yet in order that the man himself, rather
than his grand children, might be
civilized, he must be relieved from
the bonds of demonism. And yet
leading men will continue to prate
about Americanizing Avithout the
Gospel, and that civilization is but
a new set of habits, related only to
the external man, and easily put on.
Civilization is not that. It never
Avas! It is born first in the inmost
man. It wells up from the self of
the soul. Then, and not till then,
can it have any genuine external
manifestation. This then is the
argument: In order to civilization,
heathenism must be rooted out.
Christianity is the only poAver that
can root it out. Therefore, in order
to the civilization of the Indian he
must be Christianized.
Can an Indian be Christianized ?
No Christian will ask that question,
for if a man does not believe that
Christ can save men of one race as
Avell as those of another, that man
condemns Christ and is none of His.
In the nature of Christ's Kingdom
there must be success in Indian
missions, and from this we draw
abundant encouragement. There
is no true Christian but is a civilized man. An Indian can truly be
a Christian. Therefore an Indian
can be civilized. This is the result
of Christian missions.
Under the influence of Christianity an inward appreciation of and
desire for the benefits of civilization
has been steadily and soundly growing in the minds of the Indians.
Thus we often find reasons for encouragement beyond the mere outward manifestations of civilization.
The idea is taking root in his mind.
He talks of it. He prays for its
realization. He confesses and bemoans his failures to attain it. We
pass by the field of the average
Avhite man. Some Indian fields
compare well with it. But that Indian has made more progress toward civilization than is indicated
in his field. He is a Christian Indian. He has a higher idea of life
than he used to have. Indeed, his
whole mental status has been revolutionized. The very fact that he
has any idea of work, settled labor
for the support of an orderly family
by the sweat of his brow,—there is
the victory! There has been an
immense separation from his whole
former conception of the meaning
of existence. Our chief encouragement lies not in the external imperfect form of civilization but in the
neAV idea that possesses the man.
This is something to be depended
upon. Give it the slightest chance
and it will surely live to groAV. It
will because it has. Here is strong
encouragement for Indian missions.
The Indian preacher often illustrates his theme by describing the
conditions of the Israelites as parallel to those of his own people.
The Israelites Avent after strange
gods and the Lord punished them.
So the Dakotas were nearly annihilated by the cumulative indignation
of God visited upon them on account of tlieir long idolatry. But
as Avith the JeAvs, a kind, heavenly
father has saved a remnant of the
Dakotas. The Christian Indian
often speaks of: "Those old ways
that Ave had." Not long ago an Indian gaA'e this testimony: "When I
was a boy 1 saw a wretched Indian
man in the Minnesota prison raise
up his chained arms and pray: 'Oh
great Lord in heaven have mercy
upon us. And may our children not
learn the ways that we have known.
But may they have a quiet home and
schools and churches of their OAvn.'
"Now," he continued, "that prayer
has been answered. We have these
things. And according as we shall
further deserve, God is ready to be
more merciful to us." Sskiniciya.
AN ORDINATION.
A Council was called by the Pilgrim Church of Santee Agency, and
met October 22, in which the
churches of Yankton, Springfield
and Bosebud, 8. D., and Creighton,
Bazile, and Santee, Neb., were represented. Bev. Dan F. Bradley,
of Yankton, was chosen moderator,
and Bev. J. F. Cross of Bosebud,
scribe. Mr. Francis Frazier and
Mr. James Garvie presented themselves as candidates for ordination
to the gospel ministry. After a
long and careful examination in
both Dakota and English, which Avas
well sustained by the candidates,
the ordination exercises took place
in the evening. An address was given by Bev. Chas. Seccombe of Springfield; the prayer of consecration
was made by Pastor Ehnamani; the
charge Avas given by the moderator,
and a double right hand of fellowship
was given by Rev. Mr. Barron of
Creighton and Bev. J. F. Cross of
Rosebud. The exercises evidently
produced a deep effect upon the congregation who attended. Francis
Frazier continu es his Avork at Burrill
Station and James Garvie, after he
is through with his fall work as
General Secretary of the Dakota
Y. M. C. A. will spend the Avinter
ministering to Bazile church.
We acknowledge the wedding
cards of Rev. Joseph C. Taylor and
Miss Edith A. Chatfield. In choosing a Avife Mr. Taylor follows the example of Dr. Charles Eastman. The
marriage ceremony Avas performed
at the Church of the Good Shepherd,
St. Paul, Minn., November 10. Mr.
and Mrs. Taylor go directly to their
home at Pine Ridge Agency, S. D.